International Conference on Bilingual Teaching in Educational Institutions - July 2010

Using Videos in the Bilingual Science Classroom

Moving Beyond the Science Textbook: Using Authentic Video in the Bilingual Science Classroom

Shawn Redwood

Language Department

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

SYNOPSIS

Science is all around us in our daily living and the more students experiment with science and observe; the more fascinated they will become in finding answers.  Science experiments and projects help make learning fun and help to answer questions asked by students.

Authentic video from the Internet can help bring science concepts to life and will give both students and the teacher a chance to move beyond the science textbook.  It can be a daunting task to look for material appropriate for students learning Science in English and this is why sites such as How Stuff Works, Simple Science and YouTube are such a valuable resource.   Videos from the sites mentioned present students with actual everyday language, just as it appears in real life, and lets them hear the language in a visible context.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this session is to help teachers:

a.     understand the role of authentic material in the classroom.

b.     find authentic science material on the Internet,

c.     create activities based on authentic material,

DEVELOPMENT

I will start with a definition of authentic material and why it is needed in the Bilingual Science Classroom.  From there, I will give tips on how to find such material on the Internet and how to create activities based on it according to the level of the students in the classroom. 

CONCLUSIONS

Through this workshop, I hope to demonstrate that authentic material leads to greater interest and variety in the classroom. Teachers must be enthusiastic and take advantage of the benefits and use authentic material properly and in sufficient quantities to motivate students and allow them access to a rich body of knowledge.